Why do I have to go to a R/W GOP lovin Fundie church to cast my vote? Do

[thebaghwan]

others have to do this? It pisses me off I have to walk on their consecrated ground.

[complain jane]

1. Because

it's easier to "tune up" the voting machines after you vote if the machines are right on their turf to begin with.

[aquart]

2. See?

A perfectly sensible answer.

I vote in the Community Gay and Lesbian Center, myself.

My sister is in San Diego and she votes in a private home's garage. It really unnerved her the first time.

[ironflange]

9. People vote in a garage?

That's nuts. Don't they have schools? Canadian polls are almost always in schools, and we use those old-fahioned paper ballots too.

[aquart]

16. New Yorkers do not. Californians do.

Probably Texans also, if King of the Hill is accurate.

Envy you your paper ballots.

[Kurt Remarque]

3. just don't try to have illicit sex in the voting booth

[classof56]

4. We have this great thing going here

It's "vote by mail". No more trips to polling places, no more wondering if your neighbors who work there are able to find out who/what you voted for. No more trekking into religious buildings to cast your ballot. Just mark 'em in the privacy of your own home, sign the envelope, slap on a stamp (or drop the ballot at one of many sites) and you're done.

Amazingly stress-free and progressive way of exercising our right to vote by secret ballot. I highly recommend it.

Tired Old Cynic

[Cleita]

5. I had to do it for about five elections, then my precinct got

changed to our county library. (((Sigh of relief))) The fundie churches though are still doing elections. I think there is a conflict of interest here, but I can't seem to get my local Dems interested.

[javadu]

15. The Key Words

"but I can't seem to get my local Dems interested"

I may be accused of being of freeper, but believe me, I am on your side. Nevertheless, I was once a freeper (before I went to grad school) and I have many friends and relatives on the dark side.

I think the dems can and should learn some things from the dark side. One of the most basic things that those on the dark side do better than dems is to PARTICIPATE!!!!! That is why they are wiping the floor with our asses. Our ideas are better, our candidates are smarter, our positions are more in line with Americans that the repubs, but THEY have the presidency, congress, and the senate.

I realized that my small circle is not a representative sample. Nevertheless, it often depresses me that, for every excited and energized dem I know, I know 2 excited and energized repubs.

I am sorry to vent ---- I really love DU ---- but this is my greatest frustration with the dems as compared to the repubs ---- the lack of energetic participation. Actually, things seem to be changing recently. I hope the change is good and long lasting.

[playahata1]

6. Even if this is a church, no matter the denomination,

it is none of their business who you vote for.

[Red State Rebel]

7. As someone who as worked with the elections in our area...

It is not easy to find a place that can act as a polling place. You have to have a room large enough to hold all the voting equipment, plus the people necessary to run that particular site, it has to be in an easily accessible place with enough parking to accomodate everyone coming in to vote.

The church itself would have nothing to do with what goes on in the polling room other than unlocking the door in the beginning and locking it when it's over. Everything done in that room is overseen by a person appointed by the Election Commission - not anyone who is part of the building they are using.

Churches, schools, community centers are always among the most used facilities for polling places because they have facilities that meet the requirements and are available during the time necessary.

Unless you distrust your Election Comission, you have nothing to worry about.

[NMDemDist2]

12. re church polling places i was canvassing for signatures to get

some candidates on the ballot at a muni election here and had set up behind the 75 foot line but the elections lady made me move my truck cuz it had Kerry literature on it that was visible from the door

then the "handyman" for the church parked, got out, saw me, went back to his truck and BACKED IT UP to the curb right outside the door with his "I love W" and "Bush/Cheney 04" stickers on his back window.

he didn't load or unload anything, but when i asked the elections lady she says "well he works here"

ARGGHHHHH

[hang a left]

8. Me too.

North San Diego Repig country big time. We still had punchcards though when I was voting against the recall of our govenor.

[Kali]

10. I'm with ya

I hate going into a church to VOTE, just feels WRONG. Private garage! Never heard of that one. Schools sound the most logical. Yeah, yeah, mail in - if you are paranoid, though, you gotta wonder how they are handled too.....

[Rosco T.]

11. Two Words solve your problem...

absentee ballot

[thebobartist]

13. Most of ours

have always been in schools, but in this case I think it's because the voters don't know where anything else is.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

14. Because the L/W DNC lovin

hydroponics basement is against the law.

And, to collapse two threads into one, this would be the first act I want to see a Kerry administration tackle: an America where voting on a hydroponics farm is nothing to be ashamed of.

[LTR]

17. I voted in an old folks home once

Usually tends to be schools.